1984. Select a
line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that
you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or
the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and
analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.
Edward Albee’s play The
American Dream is his criticism of the American “dream” that came to
popularity in the 50s and 60s. Albee uses Grandma and the Young Man to showcase
the differences in the old American dream of hard work and real values and the
new American dream of having money and artificial values. One line from the
Young Man provides the most obvious statement of these differences: “I'll do
almost anything for money" (109).
At this point in the play, Grandma and the Young Man are
talking about what kind of work the Young Man is looking for. Up to this point,
the audience has only seen glimpses of Albee’s criticism of the new American
dream through Mommy and Daddy’s commodification of everything in their life.
Neither of them has outright said they are looking to be wealthy, but comments
about “satisfaction” and Mommy only marrying Daddy for his money have left the
audience with the sense that they are money-seeking, corrupt people. When they
adopt the Young Man, after he says this line, and appear to finally be
satisfied, it is clear to the audience that money is the driving force in Mommy
and Daddy’s lives.
The Young Man’s line was effective when Albee first wrote
the play, and in the years since then, the line has only become more effective.
The Young Man as a character is devoid of feeling and as a result is sometimes
difficult to relate to, and this line only enforces that at first. The idea of
doing anything for money is preposterous to most audiences. When it becomes
clear that this line was Albee’s big strike against the American dream and way
of life, the audience’s first reaction is to take offence. The line takes an
accusatory tone, suggesting the American people will do anything for money.
Because of this, the audience is more likely to remember the line and how it
made them feel.
Hey Bri!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you picked a piece we worked on in class, and the American Dream is a great work for this prompt.
1. Your comparison of Grandma and Young Man was really solid, so keep up the good work! You had some really good evidence, too.
2. My only word of advice would be to separate the 2nd body paragraph from your conclusion. I think you have enough information to make an entirely new one, and I am assuming the AP readers would expect at least two fully formed topic sentences and supports! :)
Other that that little detail, its really good!
Erin Donahue
Hi Bri,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the line you picked! It sums up the new American Dream pretty well. I agree with Erin in that you did a great job of comparing Grandma to the Young Man and that you explained all of your claims nicely. When you say the line was effective, do you mean that the audience only agrees with the line or that they actually do something about the line and change their lives? For example, I know that working for just money is still prominent in America, so although I think the line was effective in a short term sense, I don't think it was in the long run. If you could add something this that'd be great. Other than that, nice job!
Hey Bri!
ReplyDeleteI don't really know what to add because Julie and Erin did a great job commenting! They are so right that you did a fantastic job comparing Grandma to the Young man. These two characters were my favorite in the play and I think you did a good job of describing their relationship. I really liked your point about how they never mention being wealthy directly, only with their comments about being satisfied. I also agree with Erin that your second paragraph could be split into two with a conclusion.
Overall good job!